PRL may exercise its powers under Regulation 5

But Greg's game continues to improve and should be good again, especially with Andre feeding him the rock I like our centers here, but this game will be tough. Utah has won 4 of their last 5, and seem to be picking it up.COverall Winner: This article is also featured on Bust a Bucket - A Portland Trail Blazers Blog. Steve Nash is in his 13th season, approaching 36 years of age, and is still one of the top point guards in the NBA, and this season an arguement could be made that he is numero uno, as in the best.I keep waiting for age to make it's presence known in the creases of Nash's game, but if time has had an effect it's more akin to how a fine wine improves with the passing of each year.Nash is leading the NBA in assists at 11.8 per game, he averages 16.2 points per game and still manages to shoot 53 percent form the field and an impressive 44 percent from three point range, hardly the numbers of a player in decline.He is again one of the most exciting players to watch in the open-court after an experiment with former coach Terry Porter Forced Nash to slow down, and changed the complexion of the Phoenix Suns.Porter wanted to introduce defensive principles to the Suns and get them more accustomed to half-court offensive sets, because in the playoffs, the game slows down, and that has always been the Suns'Achilles heel.In doing this he altered the basic fibers of the Phoenix team and took away the element that made them competitive in the first place, their ability to turn the game into something resembling fast-paced, pick-up basketball.Phoenix failed to make the playoffs and Porter was out the door, and that small piece of Suns' history revealed something about Nash that had been hidden to that point.You can't harness Nash because for good or bad he doesn't recognize any other way to play the game except for ultra-speed. That is what makes Nash an excellent point guard and it's the same thing that keeps him from being the best point guard.A point guard has to recognize the shifts in tempo that arenecessary in any game, and they have to be able to control the flow of the game, and this is something that Nash doesn't grasp.So to compensate, Nash plays the game at one tempo and dictates the flow by playing at a speed that would mask most of his short-comings, and in this way he adapts to take advantage of his strengths.That ability keeps him relevant when discussing the best guards in the game and currently has his Suns with the best record in the NBA.The biggest issue with Nash and his team is their inability to defend and this is something that will again plague them down the road. Their best defense is their ability to get the ball up the court after a made basket, and in this Nash has no equal.His vision on the break is extraordinary, and he has had two games where he recorded 20 assists, two games with 16 assists and another with 17.He is averaging almost four turnovers per game, but the Suns can live with those minor indiscretions as long as they continue to win games, and so far Nash has kept his foot on the gas.In my opinion, Nash knows that in order for him to stay relevant in the league, he has to maintain his chaotic style of play and that will has forced him to push the laws of physics.The two-time league MVP has never been short in the passion department, and it seems the questions about his game have helped motivate him and his teammates.No one really expected the Suns to make much noise, and most people still feel that they will flame out as the season progresses, but it won't be due to a lack of effort on Nash's part.I have never been a huge fan of Nash but you have to admire his competitive fire and the command that he has on the fast-break, plus the fact that he still seems to be in his prime at this late stage of his career.He hasn't given any indication of how much longer he plans to stay in the league, but he did just sign a contract extension and time seems to hold no weight or measure on the body of his skills.His detractors will continue to point out his flaws, and they are justified, but his numbers and the fact that he is still among the best at this point in his career will likely define him when his playing career has finally expired.For now Nash is content to continue dishing out assists and playing as if he is not restricted by the barriers of time that always seem to catch up with us at some point in our lives. . As like the rest of the Auburn family, watching that last minute touchdown by Alabama made my stomach turn sour. Watching the final Hail Mary get knocked down to seal the deal for Alabama made me realize it would be another 364 days before Auburn has another shot.But in theamidst of the Alabama crowd that was cheering victory, fellow Auburn fans and myself did something I hadn't seen in a while.As the Auburn band played the fight song, the Auburn crowd started singing and clapping along, cheering the team as they made their trek into the locker room.Chants of "Its Great...To Be...An Auburn Tiger!" filled Jordan-Hare, overshadowing the joyful celebration of the Crimson Tide fans.That alone should tell everyone that this team is far beyond last season, and beyond certain expectations this team has garnered in the preseason. For a team that doesn't have much depth defensively, they held Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram to a total of 30 yards rushing.For a team that many determined early they wouldn't score a touchdown on the vaunted Alabama defense, they scored three times in theend zone.Although Auburn's record shows only seven wins, the team is together again. Thefan base has come together again. This feeling of togetherness and family has been something that has been missing for a long time.Even when Auburn was winning under Tommy Tuberville.In retrospect of the regular season, except for the LSU game, Auburn was competitive in each contest. Auburn had its opportunities, and fell short four times this season. Auburn also won some games it should have lost, as the game against West Virginia will tell.There can be much to think about the season if Auburn had it's depth, a few plays here and there, and a bit more luck. Everyone in orange and blue should hold their head high today and into the future. Hanging in there with the No. 2 team in the nation, your in-state arch rival, for nearly 60 minutes should give this program and its fans pause for little concern into the future.Detractors will say Auburn failed five times this season.Supporters will say Auburn had a chance in eleven games this season.Give Alabama credit for pulling it out when it mattered, but give Auburn credit for giving Alabama their toughest game of the season. This wasn't exactly the "warm-up" game against Florida that most were predicting.For his first season, Coach Gene Chizik and his staff have done a great job with what they were given to start the season. There is something, however, that they have given the players, and the fans to an extent, that wasn't there for a long time.Auburn has become close again as a unit. To quote Chizik:"We have built a great foundation for what we are going to do in the future, and I am just very proud of our kids. I appreciate our fans supporting our guys as we were running off the field, which is not surprising.

Yet another controversy has emerged in the Guinness Premiership as London Wasps walked out of their game with Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park yesterday evening.Premier Rugby, the umbrella organisation for top flight clubs, is "urgently requesting a full report from the referee" after Wasps refused to take the field on safety grounds.Close to kick off, Wasps expressed their dissatisfaction with the playing surface in Stockport to referee David Rose, who after consideration of the regulations, and the state of the playing surface, confirmed that the game could start, something the Sale agreed with. Wasps' management disagreed, and refused to take the field, indeed, they were back on their team bus by 19:30GMT and as a number of newspapers have reported, six pizzas were delivered to the Wasps team bus before the game was officially called off at 19:59 GMT.A statement on the Wasps official website said, "Player safety remains paramount to the Club and will not be compromised under any circumstance. On arrival at EdgeleyPark, inspection to the pitch showed the playing surface to be holding standing water, surrounded by soft and sloppy mud which would have made scrummaging extremely dangerous. This was seen in the extreme within the 15m channel on the tunnel side of the stadium."The statement on the Sale's website took quite a different tone, "The management of Sale Sharks are firmly of the view that the game could have been played safely without putting at risk the safety of the players of either team."Sale's CEO James Jennings added, "There as been no reasonable explanation provided by Wasps for their decision not to play. We will have to see what action PRL now take, but we are very clear what the right response should be to this." The loophole that Wasps have exploited that the referee does not become responsible for either side's welfare until the kickoff has now been deployed in three consecutive seasons, twice in games against Sale."Wasps did not want to play and at that point my opinion does not count for anything, I cannot make a team take the field of play, Referee Rose said. "If it starts the safety then becomes my concern but before the start I cannot influence either side."Looking at the Regulations from the RFU in relation to the Guinness Premiership, it's worth looking at section 4.4 NonFulfillment Of Fixture Obligations .4.4 (c) states, "In adverse weather conditions, each Club must notify PRL of any concern in relation to the condition of the pitch and notify PRL of the steps it has taken to minimize disruption to any Match. The Club must retain regular contact with both PRL and the RFUs Head of Elite Refereeing in relation to the condition of the pitch.

PRL may exercise its powers under Regulation 5.3 (b) to require a Club to take appropriate action to ensure its pitch is being maintained to an adequate standard.NB For the avoidance of doubt, it is the responsibility of the home Club to monitor the weather conditions in the week leading into any Match."It's no secret that much of Great Britain has been battered by large swathes of rain in the last week, particular so in the North West, so of course the pitch was going to take a bit of a hammering. Mud you can live with, water and an inability to get suitable footing you can't.There will be different schools of thought on whether or not it is playable, whether Wasps were right in their decision, and what should happen now, but as Rose himself said, he can't force a team to come out and play.It's now in the hands of PRL once they receive the report from Rose. It will all come down to the view of the pitch's playability, and exactly how events unfolded once Wasps arrived at Edgeley Park.Possible outcomes are the game gets rearranged for a later date, where it doesn't clash with RFU dates, Sale are awarded a 00 win, Wasps are deducted points for failing to fulfill their obligations, and suffer a financial penalty.Without knowing the true facts, it is difficult to speculate as to what will happen. If the game is rearranged, it can be expected that tickets would be valid for the new date, thereby removing a need for compensation for loss of revenue, refund of tickets, which would likely be the responsibility of Wasps to pay out, but again that is determined by the view PRL take on the state of the pitch, and if they agree with Rose that it was in playable condition. As an interesting aside, it's perhaps worth remembering that Sale share Edgeley Park with League One football side Stockport County. Stockport were due to face Torquay in an FA Cup secondround match on Saturday afternoon, but following a pitch inspection on Saturday morning, the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch..

I recently took a written beating for saying that I thought Joe Mauer was helped greatly by being a catcher, in his recent naming as the American League's Most Valuable Player for 2009.With that being said, is Mauer not only the best catcher in the game, is he also the best player in MLB Let's not throw pitchers in this mix, I would like to be able to compare "apples with apples."First order of business, let's look at what competition he actually has, at least in my opinion. These will appear in no particular order in the following list:1) Albert Pujols2) Miguel Cabrera3) Alex Rodriguez4) Mark Teixeira5) Hanley Ramirez6) Ryan Howard7) IchiroSuzuki8) Chase UtleyThese are the only contenders in my view. If you disagree, you are cordially invited to toss someone else in the mix.These statistics reflect averages for 162 games: PLAYERRHHRRBIAVGOBPSLGOPSRISPMauer971961792.327.408.483136.347 Pujols12419942129.334 .427 .628 172 .345Cabrera9819033117.311.383.542140.318Rodriguez126 18944128.305.390.576147.301Teixeira10217837122.290.378.545136.314Ramirez1232022782.316.386.531138.305Howard10316649 142 .279.376.586142.278Ichiro111231 1059.333.378.434118.340Utley10917829106.295.379.523129.291I believe that if you were just relying on statistics, Pujols would win this contest in walk-off fashion. He leads the pack in four of the nine categories.Now we all know that stats only show us so much of the player's ability. Many B/R readers believe that 1B is the easies to play and C is the hardest. Therefore, according to some, an intangible factor would need to be invented to sway things the way of the catcher.It is interesting to note that of the nine players I chose, four play 1B, one 2B, one SS, one C, one 3B and one OF.I am not a mathematician, nor do I play one on TV, and therefore could not come up with a numerical factor to represent the different positions. So it would seem justifiable to come to the conclusion that Albert Pujols is the best player in the game today.OK, I am ready.